Bipartisan Group of Senators Renew Legislation to Combat Sexual Assault on College & University Campuses

Statement

Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and a bipartisan group of Senate colleagues reintroduced legislation to combat sexual assault on college and university campuses. The Campus Accountability and Safety Act (CASA) would reform the way colleges and universities address and report incidences of sexual assault that occur on their campuses. The legislation will instate higher training standards for on-campus personnel and require fairness and uniformity in the campus disciplinary process. The Campus Accountability and Safety Act will empower students, while holding universities accountable to a uniform reporting standard.

In addition to Sen. Warner, this legislation was introduced by Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL).

"I am proud to continue working with this bipartisan group of colleagues on sexual assault prevention legislation that demands greater transparency, consistency, and accountability from colleges and universities nationwide," said Sen. Warner. "There has been a huge increase in public awareness and meaningful policy discussion in recent years thanks to the courage of campus sexual assault survivors as well as leadership from advocacy organizations. However, Congress still has a responsibility to strengthen and support these efforts with legislation. Reintroducing the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, which was supported by more than one-third of the United States Senate in the previous Congress, represents an important step towards meeting this commitment to better protect our young people on campus."

Sexual assault on college campuses remains a pervasive issue. Under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, colleges and universities have a legal obligation to provide an environment that is free from discrimination on the basis of sex in all education programs and activities. Sexual harassment and sexual violence are forms of sex discrimination prohibited under Title IX. The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights is currently conducting 318 investigations at 228 institutions nationwide for their handling of sexual violence reports. Sexual assault on college and university campuses is notoriously underreported and, too often, adjudication processes and survivor support services vary from campus to campus, making fairness and transparency all the more elusive. The Campus Accountability and Safety Act places higher incentives on all universities, including those in Virginia, to empower student survivors and hold perpetrators accountable.

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